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Education

In the Field

Sandy Beach Monitoring

LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) is an environmental monitoring and education program for students, educators, and volunteer groups (grades six and higher). This hands-on program was developed to monitor the ocean and coastal ecosystems of California's national marine sanctuaries to increase awareness and stewardship of these important areas.

Two distinct monitoring programs make up the core of the LiMPETS network: the Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Program and the Sandy Beach Monitoring Program. Both programs are designed to provide students with the opportunity to experience the scientific process firsthand. Through research-based monitoring and standardized protocols, students develop their problem-solving skills, gain experience using tools and methods employed by field scientists, and learn to analyze data. The online data entry system on the LiMPETS website allows our participants to archive their data electronically and to view and analyze their results over time.

Teachers participate in training workshops to gain the necessary skills and confidence to engage their students in meaningful monitoring activities in the field. Approximately 3,500 teachers and students along the coast of California are already collecting data from rocky intertidal and sandy beach habitats as part of the LiMPETS network in our national marine sanctuaries.